


Those Who Can't Fly, Sink

by AaronJagger



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Drabble, Drowning, Other, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-06-17
Packaged: 2018-02-05 02:23:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1801924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AaronJagger/pseuds/AaronJagger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Makoto didn't attend the swimming trip?<br/>-<br/>He lied awake all night. The sun peaked into his windows and he groaned at how tired he was. He reached over to his desk and got his mp3 player deciding to listen to music to try and calm his nerves. And it did. The music flowed through his body, relaxing him and bringing his anxieties down. Makoto almost fell asleep to it. He probably would have if it wasn't for his phone buzzing next to him.</p>
<p>He pulled off his earphones and opened his phone. There was a message from Haru. His heart beat fast as he pressed OK.</p>
<p>'Makoto...There's been an accident'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those Who Can't Fly, Sink

The swimming camp was only a day away. Makoto had the whole thing planned out down to the kilometers apart each island was to each other. Everyone was so excited and...Even if he had a fear of the ocean, a part of him was as well. The group packed up everything they needed and brought it to the boat the night before. All that was left was the sleeping bags and food that they had to bring with them the day of. 

Makoto couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned all night; head reeling all the things that awaited his friends and him tomorrow. After two hours, his mind gave in and he finally slept.   
In the morning, he was greeted by his door being slammed open and the voice of his younger sister Ran, "Big brother, big brother wake up!" She jumped on the bed and smacked his cheeks a couple times until he opened one eye in annoyance, "What is it?" He looked at the clock seeing that he still had another hour before he needed to be awake. ‘Why today?’ He wondered,’ of all the days I needed to be woken up like this, it had to be today.’

He sat up and smoothed his hair out of his face, "Is something the matter?"   
"Ren is sick." She pouted.  
Makoto was relentlessly pulled out of bed to follow his younger sister back to her and Ren's room. Inside, Ren was on his bed in a ball crying.

The older brother quickly went over and held his younger brother in his arms, "What hurts?" He touched his forehead; he was burning up.Ren couldn't speak, just groaned in between settling cries.  
Makoto picked him up and brought him into the bathroom, sitting him on the toilet, "Do you need to puke?" He tried to ask.  
This time, Ren nodded, holding his head in his hands. Makoto opened the cabinet under the sink and grabbed a bucket, "Here." He put it between Ren's legs and let him hold it himself as he rummaged for the right medication.   
He wanted to leave and wake his parents, but it was still so early and he didn't want to bother them knowing that they had to work all day. Then again, in a way so did he. Makoto decided that if things got worse, he'd wake them. A faint smile crossed his lips as he found the kid medication for cold and flu. He poured it into the small container and brought it to his brother's lips, "Take this okay." 

Ren swallowed and grimaced as the cherry taste burned his throat.   
"Try to keep it down for at least ten minutes so it can work." He washed out the container and put it away before sitting on the ground in front of Ren, "You'll be fine. Big brother will take care of you."  
Outside the bathroom stood Rin who couldn't stand still. She was so worried. A week ago she was sick and now she has guilt that maybe she passed it along, "I'm sorry. It's my fault." She cried.  
Ran, ran in and hugged Makoto, nuzzling into his arm, "I'm sorry."

They stayed in there with Ren and after fifteen minutes, he was starting to fall asleep sitting. Makoto stood up, moving Ran off of him and picked them both up; Ran on his back and Ren in his arms. He knew he'd be able to do it without the help of his parents. He was a responsible teen after all.  
He lied them both down in bed, staying with his brother a little longer, leaving him the bucket just in case, "Stay with him until mom wakes up." He told his sister. She lied on her side and nodded. She was tired but she tried to stay awake for as long as her body would allow. 

Makoto couldn’t sleep though. He was wide awake now. When he entered his room, his alarm went off. ‘Well there goes the last hour of sleep.’  
He went downstairs and prepared the lunches for everyone; Making a special one with mackerel for Haru. His parents came out as he popped on the last lid on the bentos.   
"Good morning." His mother yawned, "You're up early."

"I have camp today, remember." He reminded her as he kissed her forehead.   
"Ah that's right." There was something in her voice that didn't sound good.  
He scanned her worried face. Makoto couldn't figure out what may be the problem other than her having to take the day off to stay with-  
"I have to stay home." It wasn't a question. He knew this was going to happen.  
She looked up at him sadly, "I'm sorry. We have to work." She tried to make it better by adding in a, "You can reschedule." But they both knew that wasn't a thing they were able to do.

He smiled, closing his eyes, "It's okay. Don't worry about it." He turned to look at the bentos, "Let me take these over to everyone then I'll be right back."   
His dad put the bentos in a grocery bag and sent him off telling him to be back in an hour before they had to be at work. ‘An hour. Just enough time.’  
Makoto closed the front door and started down the stairs to find Haru waiting for him. Today was still early yet so full of surprises. Haru looked up from the white cat he had been petting, "Good morning."

The walk there was in silence for the most part. Haru was too busy in his own world, looking out at the sea longingly.  
Once they arrived at the boats, Makoto handed the food off to Haru and bowed to everyone, "I'm sorry!"

Haru nodded, "You can't come." He tsked.  
Makoto knew exactly what Haru was thinking; he straightened up and stared at him, exchanging a mental conversation with his childhood friend. ‘It's not because of the ocean. I am over that, I told you.’  
"My brother is sick and I have to stay home with him. I'm really sorry." He checked his watch, "I- I have to go before they leave for work. Have fun!"   
Before anyone could get a word in, he was already gone.

Makoto was panting when he made it back home only with a minute to spare. His parents said their goodbyes and left.  
That day consisted of watching Nothing TV, feeding the twins (Ran refused to go to her classes saying that she wasn't able to leave when it was her fault) and occasionally giving medicine.  
When night came, Makoto was left to his own devices, sitting in his room and looking out the window towards the ocean.   
That's when it happened. A small storm started up, the waves crashing down hard on the beach, going all the way up to the streets. These were normal, but something didn't sit right in his stomach. Something felt...wrong.  
The wind blew strong this particular night, rain hitting his windows hard making him feel even more uneasy. ‘They were smart enough to not go near the ocean. Especially not at night. It's not like what happened with-‘ He shut his mind up by shaking his head and smacking his cheeks, "Haru is with them. It's fine. It's fine....It's fine." He repeated that all through the storm.

The wind died down and it went completely quiet outside in a matter of two hours. ‘See it's over. It's fine.’ Makoto picked up his cell and stared at it, contemplating calling or even just texting Haru but voted against it after a while. Even if he did send a message, Haru never uses his phone. It's more decoration than anything. ‘It's fine.’  
He lied awake all night. The sun peaked into his windows and he groaned at how tired he was. He reached over to his desk and got his mp3 player deciding to listen to music to try and calm his nerves. And it did. The music flowed through his body, relaxing him and bringing his anxieties down. Makoto almost fell asleep to it. He probably would have if it wasn't for his phone buzzing next to him.

He pulled off his earphones and opened his phone. There was a message from Haru. His heart beat fast as he pressed OK.

'Makoto...There's been an accident'

The funeral was deathly quiet. Many sobs could be heard in the background, but Makoto stood in front of the casket silently. It was open for the last time, and Mako knew it would be the last time he would ever see his friend again. He looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping. After Makoto had begged to get the entire story out of them, cried and pleaded, they just couldn't. It wasn't until the next day that he had found out that Rei had tried to swim in the ocean at night during that storm. Nagisa not being able to get to him in time and Haru waking up too late to do CPR. 

Nagisa stood in front of Makoto stroking Rei's unnaturally still face. He was wearing his school uniform with his swim jacket in his arms and a small hand carved bird in the middle. For some reason, he couldn't cry. Everyone was crying; especially Nagisa as if his tears were enough to bring him back. But Makoto stood there silently. 

Once Nagisa finally pulled his body away, Makoto hugged him, tears forming in his eyes but not making it any farther, "Hey...don't cry...he wouldn't want us to. It's not beautiful."  
Nagisa nuzzled into him, trying to stop his sobs. Haru came to rest his head against his best friends shoulder; his face blank. It's been like that the past two weeks. Completely blank, just like his now darkened blank eyes.

The three of them watched the casket lower into the ground and threw their flowers into the hole before it was filled.


End file.
